JT Spunk | Photography

The Power Of Positive Thinking – Implemented Stock Photographer Style

I’ve heard it said that if you believe you will succeed, or if you believe you will fail, you are right.  There is a lot of truth in that.  I have also heard it said, that as photographers, it is our responsibility to lead society.  

As I write this we are in what is described as the worst recession since the great depression.  It feels as if all the news is doom and gloom.  I find myself being more careful in my spending, pulling back and even taking on a bit of a siege mentality.  Now the more we all do that, the worse our economy is going to get.  What can we, as stock photographers, do to help?  We can stay positive and we can make positive images.

The bright side

One way I am approaching my stock photography that allows me to create positive conceptual images and still feel like I am being fiscally responsible is to create images that cost little to nothing. 

A great example of that is a picture I created just a couple of days ago.  The image illustrates the idea that no matter how dark things are, there is always a bright side.  That even when you are in a raging storm, on the other side of those clouds the sun is always shining.  The image shows a rainstorm of dark clouds, but above those storm clouds are light fluffy clouds and a shining sun. 

Pictures of clouds, rain and sun

The storm clouds and rain were photographed on a road trip through Colorado.  The transition was created using clouds I shot on a vacation in Hawaii.  The light fluffy clouds were shot here in Marin County and the sun was added using the Lens Flare filter in Photoshop. 

Shooting weather, pictures of clouds, rain, and sun are free.  Photographs of beautiful landscapes are also free.  I say pretty much because I have accumulated a lot of my weather and landscape files while on trips.  I am also fortunate to live in the Bay Area where we have an abundance of scenic vistas ranging from mountains to the ocean, to draw upon.

In another case, again drawing upon my archives of clouds, I used Photoshop to create a smiley face in the sky.  Total cost, a few hours of digital work.  It isn’t the best selling image I have ever made, but pretty much every penny it does earn is profit.  Some images I undertake require enormous expense, and I certainly do my share of them.  But it always feels good to create an image with a high probability of selling that costs little to nothing to make.

Creativity and a positive attitude

In my final example, I have an image of a man’s hand holding a light bulb in front of the sun.  I found a friend who modeled for me for no charge.  Again, a positive image, about solar power, conservation, and even creativity, at minimal to no cost. 

Powerful conceptual ideas that cost little to nothing are all around us; Ideas that are needed in the market, and that we can feel good about on several levels.  I know that it helps me stay positive when I make images I am proud of, and it certainly helps my wallet when they sell.  As a business owner it also feels good to stretch my dollars.  As with so much else in life, all it requires from us is creativity and a positive attitude.

About the Author

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The Great Depression $51.16 The Great Depression was the worst economic catastrophe in modern history. Not only did it cause massive worldwide unemployment, but it also led to the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany, World War II in Europe, and the tragic deaths of tens of millions of people. This book describes the sequence of policy errors committed by powerful, well-meaning people in several countries, which, in combination with the gold standard in place at the time, caused the disaster. In addition, it details attempts to reduce unemployment in the United States by Franklin Roosevelt`s New Deal, and in Germany by Hitler`s National Socialist economic policies. A comprehensive economic and historical explanation of the events pertaining to the Depression, this book begins by describing the economic setting in the major industrialized countries during the 1920s and the gold standard that linked theory economies together. It then discusses the triggering event that started the economic decline — the Federal Reserve`s credit tightening in reaction to perceived overspeculation in the U.S. stock market. The policy bungling that transformed the recession into the Great Depression is detailed: Smoot Hawley, the Federal Reserve`s disastrous adherence to the real bills doctrine, and Hoover`s 1932 tax hike. This is followed by a detailed description of the New Deal`s shortcomings in trying to end the Depression, along with a discussion of the National Socialist economic programs in Germany. Finally, the factors that ended the Depression are examined. This book will appeal to economists, historians, and those interested in business conditions who would like to know more about the causes and consequences of the GreatDepression. It will be particularly useful as a supplementary text in economic history courses.

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American Decades Primary Sources 1930-1939 $0.99 Used – The United States in the 1930s was dominated by the economic difficulties of the Great Depression, which impacted life on all levels for much of the population. The Depression spurred federal programs in business and industry and investment in the arts and humanities, generating a heretofore unparalleled support for and public interest in literature, architecture, photography, and other ventures. At the same time, the country’s economic woes did not discourage crime or social debate. The

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Dorothea Lange $53.28 Used – It was during the depth of the Great Depression of the late 1920s and 30s, when at least 14 million people were out of work in the USA, that Dorothea Lange (1895 – 1965) first ventured out on the streets with her camera. In 1935 a report on migrant workers, illustrated with Lange’s photographs, came to the attention of Roy Stryker and in response he invited Lange to become a member of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographic unit. Like Stryker, Lange believed that photography w

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